The Director of Operations for RUI just telephoned me, Mr. Attila Szabo after I sent off an email asking for a written letter from Mr. Szabo promising that wild steelhead would no longer be served in RUI restaurants.

You maybe happy to know that he owns an Alumaweld driftboat, is an avid steelheader and has fished the Hoh and has in fact, seen the nets.

And Mr. Szabo did inform me that as of tomorrow, wild steelhead will be replaced with wild halibut because the first catches of the season have become available.

Mr. Szabo made no promises that wild steelhead would not be on the menu next year and I was led to believe, that Cutter's would be serving wild steelhead come next year. He told me that for every letter he recieved against the sale of wild steelhead at Cutter's, he recieved a letter in support of it. He also told me that he is worried about the backlash that he will face if he offers farmed salmon because of the bad press that farmed salmon have been recieving as of late.

When I asked him to please not utitilize Hoh River stock as the river has not been making escapement, he told me that he can not trust nor believe those numbers.

He kept making reference to the emotion and such that was involved and the understands that and kept telling me that we was NOT dodging the question and the problem.

Plus he told me to take up the issue with the F&W Commision and the State Government.

I was having issues with my cell phone reception at the time so I was not able to engage him as much as I would of liked.

On the bright side, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy....

However, I am not supporting any RUI establishment and I will not support any RUI establishment until I get a promise that wild steelhead will no longer be served.

This is just the begining....

juro

03-02-2005, 07:50 PM

Ryan great work keeping the pressure on.

Might be a 'nice guy' but he doesn't seem to stand too tall on the issue. I'll bet there are a few dents in the bonkin' stick on his sled, and from hardheaded nates too (although purely speculatin').

He doesn't seem to be concerned at all about the issue, not as long as the almighty buck is at stake. His priorities don't seem to be centered around helping the resource while he is perfectly willing to commercialize it. I guess we'll see next year.

To all members:

We make this site available free for all to enjoy - but there is a price - we ask for participation where our numbers can make a difference. In the future, I hope we can count on all members to take a minute to speak out for these types of causes.

If not the angler, then who will?

Leland Miyawaki

03-03-2005, 01:06 AM

The Wild Steelhead Coalition has met and will pursue a meeting with Mr. Szabo and CEO Stoddard. We will show them the plight of the Hoh River wild steelhead and ask that they join us in protecting these magnificent icons of the Northwest.

If we fail in persuading them to stop permanently, I will be asking for some dinnertime picketing in full view of our friends from KIRO, KING, KOMO, PI and Times.

Leland.

OC

03-03-2005, 09:29 AM

Good work guys, let us all keep it up.

tbuehrens

03-03-2005, 10:19 AM

1. The alternative of farmed salmon is also terrible....why not only serve environmentally responsible fish?
2. Who the hell is sending him letters in support of serving steelhead? The tribe? They are the ONLY ones in support of this that I know....surely the whole rest of the state can outcompete them in a letter writing contest.
-Thomas

(sign me up for the picket)

Ken Hunter

03-04-2005, 05:59 PM

Now you are getting them where they will sit up and take notice. When the see themselves on the evening news and the front page of the paper, they will see that their actions hurt business. Way to go.